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contamination ocd


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Hi,

I'm new to this and was hoping this community could offer me some advice.

My wife has been showing signs of OCD and anxiety for about a year now, but recently it has got a lot more pronounced. In the last week or so, she's become obsessed with mercury contamination. We went to her parents house to do some washing, and she got concerned that their tv was cracked (it's been cracked for 6 months or more) and would be leaking mercury. She's worried that all of the clothes we took for washing are contaminated, and that these have contaminated our other clothes which are drying next to them. She switches between wanting to keep washing them again and wanting to bag them up and give them away. 

I don't know how to handle this. They have been hanging up for over a week and we keep having circular conversations over the mercury and what to do with the clothes. I'm finding this very draining and difficult as we cannot seem to move forward. 

Edited by CarerHusband
typo
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Hi CarerHusband,

I'm really sorry to hear that your wife is struggling at the moment. It does sound like she has contamination based OCD thoughts and compulsions. It sounds like your wife feels incredibly unsure of what to do herself, probably because she knows that giving the clothes away is an overreaction but she can't currently bear living with them. This is normal for someone with OCD but as you know it is incredibly draining to cope with as a loved one.

Has your wife looked into accessing any treatment for her OCD? The current recommended treatment for OCD is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and you can access this either from a referral by your GP or if you're in England you can self-refer to your local mental health services. 

The good news is OCD is a very treatable condition and although things are difficult now, it doesn't mean it will always be this way.

I'd also really recommend the self-help book Break Free from OCD which is available through our online shop here https://www.ocduk.org/shop/break-free-from-ocd/ which takes you through what OCD is, how it is maintained and how to start tackling it.

Gemma

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi Gemma,

Thanks for your thoughts on this. My wife has started CBT, but so far it isn't going very well - she's finding it quite frustrating an a little bit hard to relate to everyday life, but she is persevering. 

I bought the book you recommended and offered it to her, but she hasn't shown much interest in reading it. I've also bought a book for myself (Loving someone with OCD) and am finding it really useful for understanding OCD in greater depth but also what to do to help, and just as importantly, what not to do to accommodate OCD.

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Hi CarerHusband,

It's great to hear that your wife has started CBT and that she is persevering with it. Hopefully in time she will feel the therapy relates to her everyday life but if she feels it isn't after a few more weeks, try not to lose hope. It may be that a different therapist with a different approach will be better suited to your wife's problems. In other words it's unlikely to be the fault of the therapist, your wife or CBT. For some people they might see two or three therapists before they find one that suits them best.

We are currently hosting support groups that your wife might find helpful on a Tuesday evenings and Thursday mornings, which she can register for here https://www.ocduk.org/support-groups/zoom/ Feedback from the groups has shown them to be a great place to get support and encouragement to fight OCD no matter how small the achievement. There is no obligation to talk, so your wife can just attend to listen.

I'm really glad you're finding Loving Someone with OCD helpful, because it can be really hard to know what's best to do with such a complicated and emotional issue. If your wife hasn't yet begun reading Break free from OCD that's fine. It might be that she's anxious for some reason about reading it or doesn't want to be overwhelmed. If you get a chance it's still a book that you can read to get a good understanding of OCD and CBT and hopefully in time your wife will feel able to take a look herself.

Gemma :)

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